


Status: unfulfilled

by CaptainErica



Series: Contractually Obligated [3]
Category: Big Bang (Band)
Genre: Does Seungri have any idea what Seunghyun is up to?, Does Youngbae?, M/M, this is so slow going im almost sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-31 03:59:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17842040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainErica/pseuds/CaptainErica
Summary: Seungri still doesn't know what his reward is supposed to be, outside of it /maybe/ being human, and possibly being Daesung (but you can't give people as rewards, can you? That seems insane). Youngbae muses on his relationship with Seunghyun.





	Status: unfulfilled

Jiyong finds out Youngbae’s old stage name, Taeyang, two months after he’s started working for X Academy.

Youngbae hadn’t really been _hiding_ it, so much as not making it obvious. He hadn’t been famous like Dara, nor had he been well-known in quite the same way as Jiyong had (was? Is?); he had just _been_ , in his own humble opinion, and he was extremely humble.

“ _All_ the back-up dancers I worked with loved you, still do, you were their idol.” Jiyong says over lunch a month after texting him to confirm that Taeyang was, indeed, him. He says it like he hadn’t been Jiyong’s idol as well, which is false but he doesn’t want Youngbae to know because it’s embarrassing.

Youngbae flushes, leaning back in his chair a bit as he shakes his head. “It was a lot of hard work.” He says, simple and dismissive, and Jiyong snorts softly, tearing apart his sandwich.

“You should use it, you know, we could use it, it would really bump up not only the Academy’s image, but also NHR.”

Jiyong was right, of course, but Youngbae wasn’t… well, he wasn’t comfortable with relying on things like that, like a name. But then, of course, as soon as they started any type of promotions he would be recognized anyway so…

Youngbae finds the fact that he had never met Jiyong before taking this job rather strange. Having been a dancer himself, and having met tons of people during his career, it seemed insane to him that he had never run into Jiyong while he was doing it. He thinks, though, that he can blame that on Seunghyun.

He and Jiyong hadn’t talked much about it, but it was clear that they had both been connected to him in some way. Youngbae had had a rather simple relationship with him, their contract no less binding than anyone else’s, but Seunghyun hadn’t seen the same trajectory for him as he had for Jiyong. Or maybe…

It keeps Youngbae up at night for a while, wondering at this, at why Seunghyun might have helped propel Jiyong to fame, while quietly nudging Youngbae into obscurity. It wasn’t something he would normally obsess over, but it’s odd to him because of how similar their goals were, had been, sounded. How similar their childhoods were…

It hit him during his own personal practice, mid-day while this particular studio was emptied of trainees and choreographers, that maybe the reason for the difference in trajectory was two-fold.

The first reason, and probably the most obvious, was their temperaments; Jiyong was a lot more brooding, a lot more _into_ the artistry, the whole fame scene no matter how much it dragged him down, bogged him, made him tired and antsy and anxious. Jiyong loved it, loved the attention and the people he got to meet and the things he got to learn and create. For Jiyong it was about the creation, and presenting his creations. Youngbae wasn’t exactly _opposite_ so much as he was more grounded, more willing to stick to the status quo if not pushed, if not egged on, if not…

He had moved from a successful dance career into charity work, things he was interested in, and faded away and remained content. Content but not complete.

The second reason related to the first: Youngbae would have needed someone like Jiyong to push him forward. He was already doing it here, already making him more outspoken, more outgoing. Youngbae had always been confident, but Jiyong made him more willing to reach. And, in turn, Youngbae made Jiyong reflect, relax, think about something for a second time instead of pushing through. Youngbae had never had someone like this in his life. He had never had someone who could simultaneously shove him forward while holding him steady; and Jiyong had never had it either.

If they had met, then it was extremely likely that what they were doing now would never have happened and that, Youngbae concludes as he finishes out the song in the background with a graceful turn, is why Seunghyun made sure to never let them meet.

Seunghyun was a lot of things, and cruel wasn’t one, and Youngbae wasn’t angry he hadn’t had those chances; he was still young, really, to get the opportunity he was presented with with this job was almost unheard of for his age. But Seunghyun _was_ calculating.

Youngbae doesn’t know what Seunghyun’s powers are, if he really has them or if it’s all just illusion created by the mystery he surrounds himself in, but he would wager that Seunghyun could see potential. He might even be able to see the future or…

Or Seunghyun’s little contracts all connected somehow, someway, and every little push and nudge helped fulfil someone else’s terms and conditions.

Hadn’t the owner of the charity Youngbae worked at been one of the members of the first group Jiyong had danced back-up for? How much of a coincidence could that be? It was clear, at least to him, that Seunghyun’s connections were rather interwoven.

He had first met Seunghyun backstage after a concert. It had been a good one, but he was always searching for ways to improve. Seunghyun had seemed to know that something was going to happen to this group, this company, and had steered him toward another after they’d signed their contract, and then eventually, carefully, into charity working for Sean. In truth he had only been out of the dancing world for a couple of years but it felt like an eternity to him, and when Seunghyun had come up to him with the suggestion he seek out Seungri and his opportunities, well…

But it fulfilled the terms of their contract for now, though Youngbae knew he’d hear from Seunghyun again eventually.

He didn’t expect it to be over the phone that night, like he’d known Youngbae was thinking about him.  
“I have some dancers coming your way.” He says, never one for pleasantries.

“Good thing I run a dance studio.” Youngbae responds, leaning back against the nearest surface to him in his apartment.

Seunghyun snorts, almost indelicate, definitely amused. “You’ll like at least 2 of them, and at least one of them deserves to be told no for once in his life.” He says, continuing on easily.

Youngbae rubs at his forehead with his free hand just a touch, thinking, “am I their next step?” He asks.

Seunghyun is quiet a moment, and then he lets out a little laugh, “They’ll likely stay with you until you get rid of them.” He says, a little vague, a lot expected.

“Only if they’re worth it.” Youngbae says, and Seunghyun agrees, before asking if he’s met his friend Daesung, and if _Seungri_ has. Youngbae isn’t sure Seungri’s met him, but “well, he knows he’s on contract with Dara, she told us the other day.” He says, and Seunghyun makes little agreeing sounds, like it wasn’t quite what he was looking for but he would take it for now.

~

Seungri leaves his meeting with Youngbae feeling very good about the future of the Academy. Youngbae was a strong worker, and an even stronger dancer. They’d changed marketing tactics, Seungri had been told, and were going to market to those who knew Youngbae from when he was _Taeyang_ the superstar dancer. It looked like a great move.

Unfortunately this can’t keep Seungri’s mood from taking a rather sudden dive from pleased and comfortable to alarmed and paranoid.

Seungri had just exited the NHR and X Academy building when he noticed that across the street Dara and Daesung were making their way into _his_ building. Technically Dara worked there as well, but the point remained: he had seen them and now what was he supposed to do? This _Daesung_ man was going to be in the building at the same time as him, he would _know_ that he was there, and he had still not decided if he was supposed to be part of whatever _reward_ Seunghyun had been going on about.

The strange feeling of unease that settles over him is one he’s not used to, and it makes him fidget with his phone as he stands uncertainly just beside the crosswalk. He should go across, obviously. It wasn’t like Daesung would do anything to him, if anything he would be grateful and pleased to meet him were they to run into each other; after all, he owns the company that Daesung was doing work for.

Psyched up, and with Dara and Daesung already having disappeared inside, he crosses the street and makes his way to the glass doors. They slide open for him and he looks around reflexively, not really seeing anything, and then makes his way to the elevators. This, however, is where he encounters Dara and Daesung, also waiting, and not as far ahead of him as he had thought.

“Ah! Perfect, Seungri!” Dara says, grinning as she sees him and taking Daesung by the arm to turn him toward him. “This is Daesung, the actor I convinced to help with our Japanese promotional materials.” She says, “and Daesung, this is Seungri, he’s the owner.”

Daesung’s smile goes from comfortable to a little surprised and panicked. This is good for Seungri, he can work with the other person being the one who is uncertain or uncomfortable.

“It’s nice to meet you, Daesung, Dara has spoken often of you.” He says, and Daesung nods, almost like he’s mute for the moment.

Seungri wishes he had stayed that way.

“Ah, it’s very nice to meet you. I guess I didn’t realize that the Owner worked in the same building…?” Daesung says, and Seungri has a moment as Daesung is talking; a moment where he thinks his entire world is going to turn upside down because _how could anyone have such a nice voice?_

Seungri pushes his phone into his pocket to hide the way his fingers want to fidget. “Yes, I try to keep my companies pretty close together; it’s easier for collaboration – ah, after you.” He says, nonchalant as can be, the elevator dinging in the background and breaking the moment between them so he can usher them into the elevator (you’ll be enclosed with them now…).

Daesung doesn’t speak during the ride up, and Dara excuses them after chatting enthusiastically up until the door opens for their floor.

Seungri doesn’t know what to think; hadn’t previously and definitely doesn’t now.

How was he supposed to know? Or had Seunghyun just been toying with him… He has no idea, none. He sighs and heads into his office when the elevator stops on his floor: he’ll have time to think about it later.


End file.
